This invention relates to locking mechanisms. More particularly, this invention relates to miniaturized locking mechanisms formed on a substrate with countermeshing gears that have protruding sets of discrimination gear teeth that will lock up against each other if an incorrect sequence of partial rotations of one gear past the other is provided to the lock. This type of mechanism is also called a discriminator.
A High Consequence Event is an event where an inadvertent operation of a system could result in the catastrophic loss of life, property, or damage to the environment. Such events demand safety devices of extraordinary reliability. Stronglinks are electromechanical safety devices, which serve as lock-out mechanisms. Stronglinks receive information in the form of coded drive signals and, given the correct code, provide a path for an energy or information signal to pass through the device. They are designed to survive or fail in a safe state in abnormal environments or inadvertent accidents. Traditionally, stronglinks are fabricated using conventional machining practices. They are largely custom-built machines with incredibly intricate mechanisms and tight tolerances. The attendant high cost of these ultra-reliable devices has discouraged their utilization in the marketplace.
There is a need in the art for an improved stronglink locking mechanism that retains the reliability of the present devices but does so at greatly reduced cost. This need caused the inventors herein to explore whether or not an effective discriminator mechanism for a stronglink could be fabricated using surface micromachining technology. The invention herein arose from those experiments.